Music-leaf turner.



No. 688,356. Patented Dac. |0, l90l. M. R. STAPP.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

(Application Med Oct. 19, 1900. y (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shunt I.

m: new; Pains co, PHO10-L\THQ., WASHINGTON. n. cy

I Patented Doc. ID, |90|.'

M. R. STAFF.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

Upplicntion filed Oct. 19, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(lo Indel.)

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILO R. STAPP, or ABERDEEN, WASHINGTON.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,356, dated December 10, 51901. Application filed October 19, 1900. Serial No. 33,585. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MILO R. STAPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aberdeen, in the county of Chehalis and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Music- Leaf Turner, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to music-racks in general, and more particularly to that class wherein there is provided means for turning the music on the stand, the object of the invention being to provide a simple and efficient construction wherein the several leaves of the music will be held securely to prevent accidental displacement from the rack and wherein, moreover, the several leaves may be successively turned by simple depression of a key or lever.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the music-rack and illustrating the arrangement and manner of holding the music thereon, also showing the positions of the releasing key or lever. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the rack and showing the arms in their positions to hold the music before the first leaf is turned. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line 45 4 of Fig. 3 and showing the arrangement of a return-spring. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the lower portion of one of the upright rods which are carried by the pivoted arms and are provided with clips for engagement with the music-sheets. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View showing the inner end portion of one of the pivoted rods. Fig. 7 is a detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, and showing the spindle with the arms thereon.

Referring now to the drawings, in which there is shown, a music rack or stand provided with the turner of the present invention, 10 represents the bottom angular plate of the stand, comprising a horizontal portion 11 and a vertical portion 12, and to the vertical portion 12, adjacent and midway of its ends, are pivoted frame sides 13 and 141 and an intermediate frame-piece 15, the latter having its upper end bifurcated. Engaged with the upper ends of these portions or bars 13, 14-, and 15 is a top bar 16, which is engaged at its central portion between the bifurcations of the bar 15, while its ends are bifurcated for engagement over the extremities of the end bars or frame sides 13 and 14. When the top bar is in its on gaged position, the frame is held in its unfolded or operative position, and when the top bar is disengaged the pivoted bars 13, 14, and 15 may be folded downwardly to lie behind the portion 12 of the plate 10. Upon the portion 12 of the plate 10 is fixed a clip 17, consisting of a spring-plate bent into bow shape and having a thumb-screw engaged therewith for drawing the sides of the bow together to effect a gripping action upon a suitable support.

The leaf-turning mechanism is mounted upon the plate 10 and comprises a spindle or pintle 20, which is fixed atits lower end upon the portion 11 of the plate and which is braced at its upper end to the portion 12 by means of a lug 21. This spindle has a series of peripheral grooves 22, in each of which is wound a spiral spring 23, having its inner end engaged with a perforation 2a in the spindle at the bottom of the groove, while its outer end is engaged with an opening through a collar which is disposed upon the spindle and encircles the spring. As shown, each groove has a spring disposed therein, and there is a collar for each spring, each of the collars having a radially-extending arm 25, 26, and 27, respectively, and the springs are so disposed that they will tend to hold the collars normally so that the arms 25, 26, and 27 will lie to the left of the spindle or in the opposite position to that shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thus if the arms be moved to the opposite position, as shown in Fig. 2, and then be successively released they will successively move to their normal positions mentioned.

To hold the arms against the tendency of their springs, each arm is provided with a depending lug 28, 29, and 30, respectively, and as the arms are pivoted one below another these lugs are of different lengths, so that their lower ends will lie in the same plane. A rock-shaft 30 is mounted upon the portion 11 of plate 10 and has a finger piece or lever 31, through the medium of which it may be rocked in one direction against the tendency of a returning-spring 32 which is fixed at one end to the under side of the portion 11 of the plate 10, while its opposite end is curved upwardly and inwardly to rest against the under side of the finger-piece.

A U-shaped plate 34 is fixed upon the rockshaft 30, and under the influence of the spring 32 stands normally with its upper end inclined slightly rearwardly, so that the rear side of the plate has its upper end slightly below the upper end of thefront side of the plate.

The operation is as follows: The arms being in the opposite positions to those shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the arm 25 is moved pivotally to its opposite position, and in this movement itfirst moves into and then out of engagement with the U-shaped plate or retainer 34, the finger-piece being depressed to lower the front side of the retainer to permit it to receive the arm and then released to permit the retainer to tilt and permit the arm to be moved behind it. The second arm 26 is then similarly moved to a position behind the retainer, and the third arm 27 is then moved into engagement with the retainer, the fingerpiece being released to raise its forward side above the lug of the arm and hold it against the moving tendency of its spring. The lower edges of the lugs of the arms are beveled, as shown, so that when the finger-piece is depressed the rear side of the retainer may be raised between the lugs 29 and 30, so that arm 27 may be released without permitting movement of arm 26. When the finger-piece is released, the rear side of the retainer moves below the lug 29, and the. spring of the arm 26 moves said arm into contact with the inner face of the forward side of the retainer,

, the mutual contact of the arm 26 and lug 28 holding the latter so spaced'from lug 29 as to permit the rear side of the retainer to rise between the lugs 28 and 29 to release the lug 29 and prevent movement of lug 28 and its arm. The same operation releases the lug 28 to permit movement of the arm 25.

The music-sheets are held in clips 35, which are fixed to rods 36, each having an enlarged base 37, having a rectangular perforation which receives its corresponding arm, said arms being cross-sectionally rectangular to fit the perforations and prevent rotary displacement of the rods.

Disposed concentric with the spindle 20 are arc shaped frame-rods 38, which are separated by interspaces in which the arms operate, said rods or bars acting as guides for the arms, while the uppermost bar acts as a rest for the inner edges of the music-sheets.

With this construction it will be seen that the music-sheets may be held secured upon the rack and may be turned with ease and efficiency and also that they may be quickly turned without injuring the sheets, the apparatus being thus specially valuable when using old music.

It will of course be understood that in practice various modifications of the construction shown may be made and that any suitable proportions and materials may be used for the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is- 1. A music-leaf turner comprising pivotally-mounted arms disposed one above another and each having a depending lug, said lugs lying one behind another with their lower edges in a common plane, means for moving the arms pivotally,and a lever mounted for rocking movement in a plane at right angles to the normal positions of the arms and having a U-shaped plate mounted thereon with its arms extending upwardly and standing at opposite sides of the pivot of the lever, the rear arm being higher than the front arm, and means for holding the lever yieldably with the front arm raised into the path of movement of the lugs and the rear arm lowered below the path of movement of the lugs.

2. A music-leaf turner comprising aspindle having peripheral grooves and perforations opening into the grooves, a spiral spring wound in each groove and having its inner end engaged with a corresponding perforation, a collar encircling each of the grooves and having the outer end of a spring engaged therewith, an arm carried by each collar, said arms being disposed one above another, each of said arms having leaf-retaining means, arcuate bars disposed concentric with the spindle and lying between the arms, each of the arms having a depending lug, said lugs lying one behind another with their lower edges in a common plane, a pivoted lever, a U-shaped plate mounted upon the lever and having its arms extending upwardly and standing at opposite sides of the pivot of the lever, the rear arm being higher than the front arm, and a spring connected with the lever and constructed and arranged to hold the lever yieldably with the front arm raised in the path of movement of the lugs of the arms and the rear arm lowered below the path of movement of said lugs.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MILO R. STAPP.

Witnesses:

S. W. PEARSON, M. L. PEARSON. 

